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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ball — a dance
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com